List the top 5 most worthless things you've bought in your reefing career.

[revhtree]

BUMP!

 

[Stevenlburton]

#5 thru 2 - toss up, plenty to choose from
#1 - Seneye Reef Monitor

 

[LMDAVE]

I'll start:

1. Reef Bugs
2. incandescent light
3. glass canopy
4. suction cups
5. those little white vacation feeder pyramids that look like they're made of chalk.

Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like Reef Bugs...thought i was just using it wrong. Did nothing for my coral, just made hermits go nuts

 

[vetteguy53081]

Mojano wand ( seems to be a popular choice)
Powdered chemicals
Marineland stands
Chinese powerheads with suction cups
Glass heater

 

[guidedbyechoes]

1.Some one else 29 gallon that every fish but one was too large for. Engineer goby, tahitan butterfly, coral beauty. He forgot to give me the salt and nothing was open so I tried to keep them alive in bags until the morning. Only the engineer survived.
2. Purple dottyback

 

[Lowell Lemon]

1. Several hundred limestone air stones for protein skimmers. Still have them if anyone is still using an air driven skimmer. What no one? LOL
2. Shark power-heads from Sicce. Rio power-heads and Rio sump pumps. Had cases of them and finally got rid of them all. LOL
3. All Glass particle board aquarium knock down stand.
4. All Glass aquariums drilled by the supplier. The bottoms burst out of all of them causing a flood and destroying a large holding system.
5. Full pup trailer of Tenecor aquarium shipment delivered with only clear stretch wrap for protection from the factory. So much damage and no recourse with the shipping company or Tenecor. Yep that was the last order and I started to manufacture our own brand of acrylic aquariums and never looked back.
6. Aquarium Systems oxygenators had cases returned and could not get Aquarium Systems to accept them back after a product change they did not announce just shipped the nasty little ceramic covers over cheap plastic bottles that leaked 6% hydrogen peroxide all over the packaging. Not safe or allowed to be shipped via UPS but they sent them to me anyhow.
7. Volitan light systems and Jali light systems...especially the compact fluorescent. I still have a couple of them around with a case of lamps if anyone wants them. LOL
8. Triton lamps from Aquarium Systems. Still have a few of those around as well. Even have some Phillips Actinic 03 lamps around that are still new.
9. Any suction cups to hold anything....on this we all agree.

 

[Ignitros]

Garbage/snake oil.
Although I’ve been wanting to try purple helix. Just to see if they can back up their claims of different strains/ shades of coralline..

I purchased Purple Helix and can attest to its value. I started with a bare system and now have purple coralline everywhere. You may regret it though as its a pain in the butt to scrape off eveeythi.

 

[Amado]

1) ice cap digital refractometer
2) icecap gyre 3k
3)current lights
4) ice cap ATO
5) current pumps
6) API test kits
7) peppermint shrimp
8)powder blue tang with ick
9) kessil controller cable $20 then I found out it’s the same audio cable like headphones $2.99 ouch
10) Home Depot light/ amazon cheap light for the Refugium

 

[Mical]

+1 on anything with suction cups
Apex ATK - great concept, cheap chinese sensors
Current USA lights - take their recommendations and cut it in half
cheap wavemakers
API test kits

 

[Mike1995]

My reefing career just started this year.. but so far for me... Hermit crabs. They crawl all over my zoas, climb out of the tank, make my maroon clowns angry, and do absolutely nothing in terms of cleaning. (Eating algea etc). All my snails do great.. but these crabs are useless. Entertaining but useless

 

[Zeal]

1. Peppermint shrimp. Bought 3 and they ate my first 5 corals I bought. Next day they were gone.
2. Hydor pumps with controller. Complete garbage and loud. Noob mistake. Now I have MP10 and love it.
3. Little IM feeding thing. Literally fell apart on me.
4. Frag rack. Its a corner rack, hate it and its black SO I cant put anything under it.
5. Live sand, bought way too much. Should bought 10 pounds instead of 20

 

[GrouperBait]

It’s hilarious reading these! I agree with some 100% and disagree with some 100%. We all have such different expertises with quality control, or living organisms. My Red Sea reefer 170 was the biggest problem I’ve had since I started. I can’t begin to describe how crappy Red Sea tanks are when you really examine them. So terrible. I ripped it apart and rebuilt it correctly so it would hold water. Their customer service is non existent and I’m going to choose any salt but coral pro for my future tanks. Their company is just that bad.
2. Too much plumbing bought...tubes and valves and parts.
3. Too much glass broken during DIY projects.
4. Red Sea products
5. Red Sea products

 

[rstrann]

In order:

1. API test kits
2. Jebao wavemakers
3. Limewood skimmer
4. Filter socks of any kind
5. Heniochus diphreutes (reef safe, my foot!)

Dishonorable mention - Skunk cleaner shrimp a.k.a. "snail and stomatella murderers".

 

[nmqtrhrse]

1. arrow crab....too sensitive
2. Lawnmower Blenny.... too sensitive
3. Diamond goby....too sensitive
4. Pipefish.....yep. Ditto
5. Bio wheel HOB filter.....

 

[Mark Gray]

Glass canopy
Several canister filter2 watt laser need 5 watt ore more
Jebo pumps
Current light system
Bio Rocker worked but would get stuck

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I see three posts naming 6 line wrasse as bad - evil. I was thinking about buying one. What is the problem with them?

I personally really like sixline wrasses, I have had at least 4 over the years. They look cool, are very active around the reef tank and help keep several pests in check. Yes they can be aggressive especailly to new fish and other wrasses. They normally calm down a few days after a new fish is added. A large tank is best for them to give them space and a sixline should be one of the last fish added.

 

[Lb71]

1. Bristleworm trap
2. Fish vitamins
3. Kick-Ick
4. Garlic to cure Ich
5. Other “magic” Ich cures

 

[sayitfast]

1. Vertex Cerebra
2. Acclimation drip system... dip and drop, works like a champ.
3. All in one tanks. I’ll never get anything without sump again.
4. Astria Snail. How are these things not extinct.... tip over and dying, they’re great at that. Trochus snails for me.
   
5. Polyclad worm... okay, I didn’t mean to buy it but got one just the same. Most vile creature ever.

 

[Scurvy]

Ill play but preface by saying useless to me as some are very good products.

1. A Net. Never caught a fish with anything but a trap.

2. Hang on overflow. Fought for days to get a siphon going only to find out they never sent me the upside down U tube. In the trash it went.

3. The Apex WXM. I plugged in and never once even looked at again. I did sell it today though. 2 years later.

4. Miracle Mud. 3 times a charm right? Yeah, No. Ok

5. Nerite Snails. Who wants snail's that like to climb out the tank and stroll across the room? My dog enjoyed them tho!

 

[YellowFinsReef]

1) Live sand - dry works just as well
2) Live rocks - no creepy crawlies
3) Jebao wavemaker - always broke in 2 months
4) Nano tanks
5) "Reefsafe" treatment for ich and velvet